Lovely Zero
by 1000 Words To Be Said
Summary: She didn't appear all that concerned that he had discovered her secret; in fact, Rei looked as bored as ever, if maybe a little irritated. "You should have knocked, idiot." His brow twitched. "You should have told us you're a girl." The redhead looked away, moving to place her school uniform in her bag. Then she fixed those russet hues on him and shrugged. "You never asked." YuxOC
1. Faith

**Lovely Zero**

 **1\. Faith**

* * *

A sigh escaped Tachibana Akihiko, a small smile playing at his lips as he leaned his head back to catch sight of the morning hues the sky still held. He might have hated waking up early, but the view sure was nice. Rust-colored hues flicked to the side where a sleepy female strode beside him, keeping up with his pace without a hitch despite the vast difference in height. She stood at 152 cm (quite proudly, he might add) with short, messy hair the color of cherries and eyes a less striking russet. Her build wasn't anything to look twice at - she sadly hadn't inherited much of her mother's physical traits aside from her hair - but it was for the better, as the redhead often voiced; a curvaceous figure like her mother's only would have hindered her athletically.

Akihiko coughed to cover up a snicker. That's what she liked to believe, at least. He was sure his friend would have been killer at sports regardless, but he wasn't one to poke the bear.

"Is there a reason you've been staring at me for the past several minutes, Akihiko?"

She didn't even turn to look at him. The carrot-top grinned, folding his hands behind his head. "Nope, no reason! Just admiring the view, Rei-chan."

"Isn't that a reason?" Rei finally glanced over at Akihiko and raised one eyebrow. She didn't appear very impressed with his answer and not the least bit phased.

Well, that _was_ his usual reason for staring at her, after all.

"Ah, I guess it is..."

They lapsed back into silence, though it wasn't an uncomfortable one. The soon-to-be freshman was used to Rei's lack of conversational skills (something that she would firmly deny and prove all at once), and he didn't really mind that they weren't constantly talking. It was sort of nice in comparison to the friends he had who never ceased their chatter.

Plus Rei made up for it in her own way.

"D'you think Karasuno's gym will be really cool? Our school's gym was kinda dingy." Their school had never been very big on sports and chose to spend funds on academics rather than teams that were slowly but surely dying out. This would be their first time attending a school that actually valued their sports department.

"Of course it will be; it's a high school gym, and it's _Karasuno_ ," Rei's lips twitched ever so slightly. "I have no doubt their gym will be really, really cool."

"Oh? Are you actually excited, Rei-chan?"

"...Yeah."

Her answer was almost sheepish, bringing another grin to Akihiko's face. He didn't even need to ask as to why she was so happy to be attending Karasuno, or why she was so sure the gym would be cool just because it was Karasuno's gym. The orange-haired teen knew the reason despite Rei's silence on the subject because though she hadn't played for an entire year and swore she'd never play again, Kurosawa Rei had never stopped loving volleyball, and Akihiko knew for a fact that she was just as pumped as he was to attend the school of the so-called "fallen champs."

"You have to get up sometime, huh?"

"Did you say something, Akihiko?"

He waved a hand as if to clear the air of his mutter. "Nothing! Anyway, Rei-chan..."

"Hm?"

It took Rei a few moments to realize he was no longer walking beside her, and when she did, she merely turned her head to glance back at him. Upon seeing Akihiko look so unsure yet determined, though, she faced him fully, feeling her eye twitch. _What's with that unattractive expression? Jeez..._

"You're gonna play again, right?"

 _So_ that's _why._ A frown marred her features as her brow furrowed in response to the giant's question. "Aki-chan..."

"It's been a whole year, but this is a new school with new players! And you trained so hard," the carrot-top bit his lip before shaking his head so violently that Rei worried he might hurt himself. "There's no way you'd be rejected again - I know it!"

Rei didn't respond for several minutes, the sound of the wind billowing past them the only noise that dared break the silence. Her expression didn't change the entire time she made Akihiko wait, and just when she was about to respond, he cut her off with words that stunned her into silence.

"I have utter faith in you, Rei-chan!"

Russet orbs were wide in shock, a little misty from the honesty in the male's voice.

"If it's you, I know there won't be a lazy moment!"

She wasn't facing him anymore.

"I know you'll have everyone's backs!"

Had she been facing him, she would have broken her could-care-less image, and she just couldn't have that, could she? "You talk too much, Aki-chan. It's annoying."

And then she continued walking in the direction of the gym they so desperately wanted to see before the school year began. And Akihiko didn't stop her. She may not have answered his question outright, but that meant she wasn't completely opposed to the idea. In the past, he couldn't get even a few words in before she would abruptly end the conversation. But now...

"O-Oi! Wait up! Jeez, how can a shorty walk so damn fast..."

"I heard that, you overgrown weed!"

Now she was actually considering it.

* * *

"Did you really expect us to end up in the same class?"

Rei looked bored as ever as the giant of a freshman beside her whined and cried about how they weren't in the same class. She had been hopeful that they'd be placed together, but she hadn't let herself get too attached to the idea; there had been a good chance that they'd be separated. And they had been.

"Man, this sucks! I really wanted to spend all of first year with you." Akihiko breathed out, finally putting a halt to his blubbering. "Now we'll barely see each other."

"Only during classes. There's still lunch, before and after school, and clubs."

Rust-colored eyes focused on the floor. "Mm."

The air between the two shifted then, and Rei suddenly felt like she was choking. She refused to look at him, to look at the silver seat he sat on. Was she an idiot? Why did she mention clubs? Of all the thoughtless, insensitive things-

"Ah, class will start soon! We should probably get going, Rei-chan."

And just like that, his voice forced air back into her lungs. She appeared to be caught off guard by his change in attitude but shook it off to assume her usual unconcerned countenance. "'Kay. Do you want me to push you?"

Akihiko grinned, dismissing Rei's worry that she might've asked the wrong question. "Of course! We should bring some comic relief to everyone's tiresome first day."

She felt her eye twitch. "And why would me pushing you be funny, you giant?"

"Because you're so tiny, ya shorty! Whoa, no beating me up on the first day!"

"Tch."

She was probably going to worry over Akihiko all day, to say the least.

He hadn't been out of the hospital for very long, and she had no doubt that he was still having trouble steering his wheelchair. It couldn't be easy to endure everyone's curious stares and inquiries, either, nor the constant offers for help with the tiniest matters. A scowl overtook her blank expression as she sat down in an empty seat, oblivious to all of her classmates who were beginning to eye her warily.

"Is he alright?"

"He looks scary glaring into space like that."

She really did wish she could be in the same class with Akihiko. At least things wouldn't have been so hard on him then. Nothing was as bad as it could be when they were together. Although, she hadn't exactly been very sensitive about the situation despite her efforts to be; the redhead wasn't good with words most of the time - minding them or otherwise.

"Young man, just _where_ is your uniform?"

Rei didn't register the voice at first, too deep in thought about the giant a few doors down and her own inadequacy as a friend to notice the teacher looming over her desk. Then there was the fact that he'd said, "young man," and Rei was more than positive that she was indeed a young _woman_.

Apparently the teacher wasn't.

"Young man!"

This time he startled her, his glasses flashing in an almost menacing manner as he placed his hands on her desk. She gazed up at her teacher with eyes that barely betrayed her cool aura, though her shock was a bit obvious by the way she was clutching her chest out of fright. "Y-Yes, Teacher?"

"Your uniform."

The cherry-haired teen glanced down at her clothing - a hoody and some basketball shorts - and back up at her teacher. "I fell in some mud on the way here, so I just changed into this. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Her teacher nodded, muttering something akin to, "It better not," under his breath and eliciting a sigh from Rei once he was at the front and diving into the roll call. She _would_ be the one to irritate the teacher first thing in the morning.

The school day went by just as any other day in a rather anticlimactic manner. It wasn't much of a surprise that high school wasn't all that different from middle school, but that didn't lessen Rei's boredom any. At least she had gotten to eat lunch with Akihiko; that had been nice and refreshing after dealing with schoolwork that never seemed to interest her no matter how it was presented to her. He had complained that class was boring without her there to mess with, but he wasn't at all upset with the homeroom teacher he was stuck with. He'd gotten the "beautiful and elegant" Ms. Tsukino who, from what Rei was told, was one of the better teachers. _And_ she wasn't too strict with the rules.

She was jealous, of course.

"You were mistaken for a boy?"

"Yeah."

Akihiko coughed loudly and turned away from the redhead, obviously trying to cover up a laugh. "Th-That's horrible!"

"Oh, shut up, you over-sized carrot," Rei hissed, cheeks just the slightest bit pink. "He probably couldn't see properly or something. He was wearing glasses, after all..."

"Mmhm, definitely! Who could mistake such a girlish figure for a boy's?" The teen grinned, gesturing towards her. "That's obviously the physique of a budding lady!"

"Sh-Shut up!"

It wasn't until the school day ended that things truly became interesting.

Almost as if the gym were a magnet and the two friends were pieces of metal, Akihiko and Rei found themselves in front of Karasuno's gymnasium entrance. Each wore very different expressions: the carrot-top's face remained relatively blank, save for his burning eyes, and the redhead found herself openly frowning. The gym was amazing. The gym was everything they had always wanted their middle school gym to be and more - it was the gym they had wanted so badly to practice in, to play in, to make memories in. It was going to be the one place they'd get to be together.

Akihiko clenched his fists, and Rei's grip on his wheelchair tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Nice receive!"

"Thanks!"

How could that be when one of them could no longer walk?

Wordlessly, they entered the gym. It was almost cruel to do such a thing, to bring themselves so close to what could never be. But just for a few seconds...

"Wah! It's even bigger when you're inside!"

"...I knew it'd be really cool."

Just for a few seconds they wanted to come as close as they could. Together.

Akihiko waved his arm carelessly, attempting to get Rei's attention who, upon being nearly whacked in the face, growled out an irritated, "What?"

"Look! That's gotta be their ace!"

The redhead steered her gaze in the direction he pointed and, sure enough, there was a tall, muscular teenager already in midair and slamming his hand onto the ball that a grey-haired setter had tossed for him. Rei's mouth formed an 'O' shape, no sound escaping her, but her face gave her feelings away completely. _Amazing!_ Russet hues continued to follow the ace's movements as he geared up for another spike - one that his teammate on the other side of the net was unable to properly receive this time around. _Amazing!_

Akihiko gave a content smile, turning back to face the volleyball players still unaware of the two freshman watching them. He was hurting, sure, but he was happy. He hadn't seen Rei look so excited about volleyball since year two of middle school. The fact that he couldn't play no matter how badly he wanted to... Well, it shouldn't cost Rei her happiness. Regardless of how much it hurt, how much he longed to play, he'd endure. For the friend who trained until she bled only to be shunned once again, for the friend who feigned disinterest to cover up her yearning for a game, for the friend who had always been by his side, for _Rei_ \- Akihiko would endure.

"Ah, are you here to sign up, too?"

Two startled sets of eyes glanced to the right to find a boy barely taller than Rei looking at the two with curiosity before he fixed his chocolate gaze on the redhead. Akihiko's teeth caught his bottom lip, rust-colored orbs focusing on the ground suddenly. It was to be expected that people would assume that he wouldn't sign up for any sports, but that didn't make the experience sting any less.

His discomfort didn't go unnoticed by the female behind him. She pursed her lips, brow furrowing and gaze becoming increasingly intense the longer the stranger maintained eye contact. He seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable with the unexplained change in demeanor, though that wasn't Rei's intention, and she admittedly felt bad later on for scaring the spiky-haired teen. But she suddenly had a decision to make, and it wasn't one she particularly wanted to make. Or, she supposed, she didn't want to face the possibility of becoming responsible for a group of players again. It was terrifying to think about for even a second. What if she screwed up? What if she let everyone down? What if she couldn't have their backs?

 _"I have utter faith in you, Rei-chan!"_

Her expression relaxed. Seemingly bored eyes glanced down at the orange-haired teen trying to cover up his hurt by way of her own disinterested method. Her lips twitched. It really didn't suit him. A sigh slipped from her lips before Rei met the eyes of the spiky-haired stranger who immediately stiffened. She gave one firm nod.

"Yeah."

"O...kay."

Akihiko twisted around to look at Rei, face displaying every bit of shock he felt. She didn't bother to look at him, choosing to walk forward with him towards the players they had previously been watching, stranger at their heels. His mouth hung open as he tried to collect the words. But she- Rei was-

"Rei-chan-"

"If it's you, I'll do it."

The giant just stared at her.

"If it's Aki-chan supporting me, putting all his faith in me and telling me it's gonna be alright," Rei finally set her eyes on him, a determined smile gracing her lips for the first time in nearly a year. "I'll play."

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds and tears burst forth from Akihiko like a new born baby, proving that it didn't matter if it was high school or middle school; he'd always be around to embarrass Rei like there was no tomorrow and inspire some tears while he was at it.

"St-Stop it, you beanpole!"

"Rei-chan is so cool!" He paused his blubbering, sparkles appearing out of nowhere as Akihiko put on what he would deem a "cool, Rei-like" expression. "'If it's you, I'll do it.' Reeeeeiiii-chaaaaaan!"

"Shut up! I take it back."

"Eh? No take backs!"

And despite the embarrassment, Rei found herself wanting to smile.

* * *

 **So I started Haikyu! just as a light-hearted break from Tokyo Ghoul, expecting to watch an episode or two before getting back to the literal man eaters I love so much, but two episodes quickly became twenty-five, and I was left with a lot of love for these characters and nothing to do with it, so I created this piece of work! Rei and Akihiko are two characters I already love a ton, and I know I've been kinda vague about their background and what happened between their early visit to the gym and the first day of school, but that's intentional. As the readers, you guys don't know too much because the people around them don't know too much about these two, either; as the characters learn more, you guys will too. This chapter is just an intro made to give you a feel for Rei and Aki by themselves while the next chapter should focus more on Rei and her interaction with our lovely crows~**

 **And I know this is a bit of a cliche, what with Rei being mistaken for a boy and (as you guys have probably figured by now) proceeding to pose as a boy, but it's something I wanna give a go at. I think it could be a fun concept!**

 **With that, I'll leave you guys and shall see you all again soon!**

 **~1000WTBS**


	2. Friends

**Lovely Zero**

 **2\. Friends**

* * *

 _This is bad._

Rei pursed her lips, a scowl contorting her features. Her eyes were practically burning holes into the door that led to the club room as she remained firmly planted in front of it and placed her hands on her hips. The voices of her teammates were boisterous and loud on the other side, no doubt talking about the match between the first years that would be taking place soon. It wouldn't be long before everyone was changed and ready to go. Rei needed to hurry and change, too.

She couldn't just do that in front of the team, though.

It hadn't been until she was all set to join Karasuno's boys' volleyball team that she finally realized she couldn't join because she was a _girl_ and _not_ a boy. But everyone already believed she was male, her classmates included, so why not go on with the charade? It wouldn't hurt to be on the boys' team. And she had already shot off those cool lines to Akihiko; it would ruin the effect to suddenly say, "Oh, sorry! I was supposed to join a different team!"

The volleyball player sighed. At a time like this, though, it was truly inconvenient to have joined the boys' team.

Finally deciding to suck it up and make the walk to the bathrooms once again, the cherry-haired teen turned only to come face to face with Nishinoya Yu who greeted her with a bright grin that she failed to return. Nishinoya had been the one to ask if she was joining the team and had also been on the receiving end of her (unintentionally) scary look. But after the initially off-setting encounter, he didn't seem all that affected by it. In fact, Rei couldn't think of a time when Nishinoya wasn't smiling or messing around with Tanaka (whose expressions rivaled her own) - aside from when he was playing, of course. It took her by slight surprise, though, for him to act so friendly towards her the following days; she had never been the biggest ray of sunshine, typically deterring the more upbeat personalities. Maybe he was just too upbeat to be disheartened by her "cold" personality.

The urge to scowl was stronger than usual. _Am I_ really _so cold? Tch. I should stop listening to my classmates._ Rei gave a little wave in greeting to the spiky-haired freshman before walking around him to leave. Well, she tried to. He was certainly quick on his feet - that was for sure.

"Where're you going, Kurosawa? Aren't you playing today?" Nishinoya was in front of her again, eyes wide with attentiveness. She hadn't expected him to speak to her, much less get in her way, but the cross-dresser supposed that was dumb of her to assume when she was walking away from where everyone was changing, still donned in her school uniform. Rei would have been confused by her actions, too.

"I need to use the restroom," her insides seemed to twist uncomfortably. "And yeah, I'm playing."

Nishinoya's lips tilted down for a few moments. Rei said she was playing, but she didn't really sound like she _wanted_ to. Was she nervous? He didn't understand why she would be; her spikes needed work, but she could receive balls that even some of the second years had trouble with. The game was merely a way to see the new recruits in action anyway - there wasn't anything riding on the victory of either group. Aside from earning a spot on the starting lineup, perhaps.

"Eh? What's with that tone? You're not thinking of holding back, are you?" Nishinoya's voice rang out between them, nearly as loud as the voices in the club room and every bit, if not more, exuberant. His question was playful but held some weight to it, throwing Rei off for a second as she stared at the chocolate-eyed teen. Then she was smirking, arms crossed and eyes alight with mirth.

"Tch, you're gonna _wish_ I was holding back. That ball's only going to fall on one side of the court, and it won't be on the side _I'm_ standing on."

"Oh, ho! We'll see about that! You're going up against the best libero in all of Miyagi prefecture, you know!"

Her brow twitched while the teen puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips, laughter echoing in her ears. "The best? I don't think so."

Nishinoya grinned. "Who could possibly be better than the master of receiving? You?"

Pride she'd forgotten about began to swell in her chest only to be replaced by the frantic need to change into her gym clothes. Why was this? Sawamura Daichi, second year and team captain, had just stepped out of the club room, followed by several other members. Without a second thought, she shot off towards the bathrooms once Nishinoya turned to see what it was that had her frozen in place.

That wouldn't be the last time Nishinoya Yu distracted her.

* * *

"It's your serve, Kurosawa."

Cherry-colored eyebrows scrunched together as Rei took the ball in her hands, sparing her fellow first year Ennoshita a small, strained smile before glancing at the team on the other side of the net. She, Ennoshita, and Narita made up one team while Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Kinoshita made up the other, and the later three looked pretty at ease despite having the eyes of their seniors trained on them. The groupings made her feel uneasy, seeing as Tanaka and Nishinoya were already pretty close and overall easy to get along with. Trust between teammates, in her opinion, was one of the more important factors.

Her teammates were friends, too, but Rei wasn't like Tanaka and Nishinoya. While she wasn't on bad terms with Ennoshita and Narita, she was far from being a friend to them. She wasn't even sure they cared for her very much. _I probably should have tried harder to socialize during practice. Probably should have went with them for food, too. Do I_ want _these guys to dislike me?_ Messy locks flew about as she vigorously shook her head, earning a few odd looks. _I'm over-thinking this. Just focus on your serve. You can think about team-building later._

"GO, REI-CHAN! YOU CAN DO IT!"

The ball nearly fell from Rei's grasp as she jumped at the sudden headache-inducing shout. Russet hues slowly focused on the carrot-top that she had the (mis)fortune of befriending and blanched at the sight she was met with.

This overgrown vegetable had a _freaking sign_.

"Oh, my God, Akihiko..." She turned away and tried to ignore the teen (now laughing at her expense), brow twitching uncontrollably. _Breathe, just breathe. Don't screw up the serve. Don't screw up your receives. Keep the ball off the ground._

"GO, GO, GO! SMASH THAT-" Akihiko seemed to shrink upon meeting Rei's heated gaze and resorted to quietly calling out, "Do your best!" before ceasing his cheering. Several of the members snickered at the exchange, but she ignored them. How long had it been since she last served in a game? A year? It felt longer than that. Her hands were trembling, and her heart felt like it might burst forth from her chest. The past few days had been helpful in getting her back into the groove of things, but was she really game-ready? It was the first serve of the game; it'd be humiliating for it to be poorly done.

 _Don't hit the net. Please._

The ball left her hands, flying high above her head as she pushed herself away from the ground to land her palm against the sphere to send it soaring to the other side of the court. It was received relatively easily, which wasn't pleasing, but at least it hadn't hit the net. A good start was all Rei needed.

"Throw me a toss!"

Her eyes followed Tanaka as he jumped into the air before flicking to the ball as it knocked through Ennoshita and Narita's wall. Already-bruised skin met polished floor, evoking a hiss from Rei and excited shouts from the two first years on her side. The ball flew up and was - somewhat shakily - tossed to Ennoshita who spiked it to the other side.

That was the first point of the game and the first point out of eighteen that they made.

Only two sets were played because although Rei was good at what she did, and although her teammates worked well together, Tanaka was simply a better spiker. And, Rei begrudgingly thought, Nishinoya was a damn good libero. Probably better than her, though she'd never openly agree to that. Regardless of it all, she felt a little sore about losing, considering all the big talk she'd spoken earlier and the disappointment she was sure Akihiko would feel at her loss. _It's just a practice match,_ she reminded herself, slapping her cheeks a few times. _Nothing to get upset over-_

Nishinoya chose that very moment to appear at her side, grinning mischievously as he nudged Rei in the ribs. "I thought the ball was only going to land on my side of the court." Her eyes narrowed at him before she turned her head in the opposite direction.

"Shut up."

The spiky-haired first year just laughed at her pissed off scowl, clapping her on the back. "You did great, though! That was work deserving of a Gari Gari-kun."

"A Gari Gari-kun?" The scowl was gone, displeasure momentarily forgotten. There was a vague memory of a sweltering summer day and melting ice cream that fluttered in the back of her mind.

"Oh, you think it deserved two?" Nishinoya nodded a few times with what appeared to be a permanent smile, then proceeded to hold up two fingers in front of her face. "Fine, I'll buy you two, then!"

Well, she wasn't about to object to free ice cream. "I'm holding you to that, Nishinoya," the cherry-haired first year stated with just a touch of anticipation, already walking away to the storage closet. She didn't particularly want to clean - the game had worn her out - but she'd get an earful from her upperclassmen if she didn't.

"Just call me Noya! You sound more like a stranger than a friend with that bored tone," he called after her, no doubt following to the closet. No one was safe from cleaning duties, after all.

There was a brief pause, her surprise rendering her tongue useless for a second. Then there was a smile tugging at her lips as she threw up a hand in acknowledgement, continuing to walk away. "Okay, Noya."

"Can I call you Kuro?"

"Knock yourself out."

The cleaning didn't take very long, but Akihiko was already gone by the time Rei was finished with her share of the work. A frown settled itself on her lips. That wasn't like him, leaving without a word. It took her all of two seconds to have her phone out and a text on its way to the carrot-top, backpack resting on her shoulders and gym bag plopped beside her feet. Her phone beeped mere seconds later with his response.

 _[From: Overgrown Carrot]_

 _"Sorry! Mom started freaking out bc I wasn't home when she thought I would be. U did awesome, tho!"_

She still didn't understand why he didn't just say goodbye before he left, but it was understandable he'd have to take an early leave; Mrs. Tachibana worried more than ever after Akihiko's accident.

 _[To: Overgrown Carrot]_

 _"It's ok and thanks. Did u get home safely?"_

"Is everything alright?"

Rei jumped, hand flying to clutch at her t-shirt. Sugawara Koshi stood to her left, caramel hues blinking at her while his lips curved into a sheepish smile. He hadn't meant to scare her, she knew, but the slight irritation and embarrassed pink in her cheeks couldn't be helped. "W-What?"

He pushed down his amusement at her gruff reply and glanced from her phone to her face again. "Is everything alright? You looked upset with something."

Sugawara, she had noticed, was the type of person to keep up with the entire team. He made it a point to make sure everyone was feeling alright, and to have him concerned about her made her feel... nice. Probably because he seemed like he genuinely cared - he wasn't asking just to be polite. Rei admired that about him, caring so much for all of his teammates. That was much more than could be said for some people.

"I-"

"I think that's just his face. He always looks upset with everything."

Tanaka piped in out of nowhere, a satisfied grin stretched across his face as he appeared behind the pair. Rei scowled at him.

"Your face is upsetting."

"Guys-"

They'd taken to tossing insults at each other after Rei called him "Skinhead" the first time they met. He'd stared her down with that frightening expression long enough to irk her and provoke a negative response, though they weren't really on bad terms now. Insulting each other was just what they did, odd and annoying as it might've been. The teen wasn't sure herself why they constantly felt the need to pick at and tease the other.

"What was that? It's kinda hard to hear you way down there."

"Was it hard to hear when you hit a foul?"

A hand clamped down on one of Rei and Tanaka's shoulders, immediately silencing them with the unexpected contact. Both whipped around, words ready to fly off their tongues only for them to die in the teens' throats when they saw Sawamura behind them. Tanaka and Rei could look scary, but their captain? Oh, he was downright _terrifying_ when he was angry.

Sawamura had one of those warning smiles on his face. "Let's end the day on a good note, okay?" The duo nodded vehemently.

" **Yes, sir!** "

Soon enough the entire team was ready to leave, gym cleaned to perfection - or as close as one could get when a group of teenagers was in charge of cleaning. As routine dictated, Rei was going to head straight home, never one to dilly dally when she still had schoolwork incomplete; however, as she watched the group of boys continue walking in the opposite direction to the convenience store, the cherry-haired teen found herself running to catch up with them. She rationalized that she wanted to go with them for food because it was important for teams to bond, but that wasn't really the case, of course. Like Tanaka and Noya, like Sawamura and Sugawara - Rei wanted to be friends, wanted to care about these people she was going to be around each day. She wanted to learn about them, about their hopes and fears, likes and dislikes. She wanted to _know_ them.

She wanted to make the right choices this time.

"Oi! Wait up!"

It was Sugawara who turned first, glancing over his shoulder to find her looking determined and flustered all at once. A smile greeted Rei once she caught up to him and the rest of the group, and this time she managed to return it. "Change of plans?"

Russet hues flicked away from the caramel gaze trained on them for just a second before meeting it again. "Mm. Schoolwork can wait a little while longer."

"I'm glad," Sugawara simply stated, amusement flickering through his eyes as the two noisiest freshman began to gush over the team's manager. Rei glanced at them (more like Tanaka since she could only see the tips of Noya's hair over Ennoshita's shoulder) and raised an eyebrow in question. Was Shimizu really that beautiful in their eyes? It'd only been a week, yet these boys appeared to already be head over heels for the second year. As a prideful female herself, Rei couldn't honestly say that didn't make her feel a little jealous. Everyone around her assumed she was _male_ for crying out loud! There hadn't even been any mention over her being pretty for a boy. The libero huffed out some air, sending her bangs into the air and messing them up further. Maybe cutting her hair so short had been a mistake.

 _New year, new me! New gender, too..._

The grey-haired setter glanced at Rei only to give a start in surprise at the gloomy aura looming over his teammate. "A-Are you alright-"

"OH! Kuro's actually walking with us today?" Nishinoya's voice interrupted without warning, his head making a brief appearance over Ennoshita's shoulder. "What's the occasion?"

And just like that, the gloom was gone.

"You owe me ice cream. Today's as good as any day to take advantage of that," Rei shrugged and attempted to peak over her teammate's shoulder who moved away with a quick apology once he noticed.

"That's right! But, like you said, any day is good, so maybe-"

"You didn't bring any money today, did you?"

Sugawara watched as Noya let out a sheepish laugh but promised to buy his classmate ice cream a different day and as Rei told him not to worry over it. It was a little unexpected to see Rei already on such friendly terms with the spiky-haired teen; he'd thought that she would be more likely to stick with the members who had more laid back, quiet personalities seeing as she came off as more reserved and quiet herself, though a little hotheaded at times. Tanaka and Rei seemed like an odd match, too, especially with their tendency to give each other tongue lashings. But then again, her best friend was very much a spirited kid - maybe she was actually more comfortable with that sort of person?

Regardless, the second year was pleased to see Rei like this. He had admittedly been worried about her feeling like an outsider because of her lacking social habits and everyone else's lack of awareness. It was obvious he had nothing to fear now, what with Nishinoya pulling and prying at the oyster shell that was Kurosawa Rei.

"Well, yeah, Shimizu-senpai is pretty, but she's... not my type?"

" **WHAT?** " "How can she not be? She's perfect!" "Perfection incarnate!"

Sugawara grinned. Nope, nothing to worry about.

* * *

 **OMAKE: Empty Bathroom? ...Nope.**

Rei warily eyed the door to the boys' bathroom, every bit as reluctant to enter the designated male area as she had been to enter the club room. She didn't have much of a choice this time, though; it would raise unwanted questions if someone saw a supposedly male student enter the girls' bathroom. So she quickly pushed her way into the restroom, eyes closed and scowl in place.

 _Please be empty- OH, GOD._

The cherry-haired female, outraged, pointed a finger at the orange-haired shorty washing his hands, oblivious to the world around him. "You're not supposed to be here yet!"

Hinata Shoyo turned to look at her with wide eyes. "What? But I'm a main character!"

"You're not the focus of this story, though!"

The flush of a toilet interrupted them, a stall door swinging open to reveal Kageyama Tobio. Rei groaned. "What the hell are you two doing?"

"...Each other."

"What- OH MY GOD."

* * *

 **There's my attempt at a humorous tidbit, and I hope you all enjoyed it. (◡‿◡✿) coughkagehinaohyescough**

 **I feel like people might have been OOC, so I'm super sorry if that's the case. I'm gonna rewatch Haikyuu! and read more of the manga, so hopefully my take on the characters improve if it's lacking now. And I'm so freaking happy because holy crap guys - 14 of you decided to follow this, 6 decided to favorite this, and 3 of you were kind enough to review! That's freaking amazing, and thank you so, so much~ Now, replies to those lovely reviews!**

 **Heyitsthatgurl : Thank you very much, and I'll do my best to update regularly! Thanks for following this, too, my dear!**

 **NeitherSaneNorInsane** **: Sorry that I didn't make the timeline apparent last chapter! This is indeed taking place when Asahi, Suga, and Daichi are all second years while Tanaka and Noya are first years. I made sure that was obvious in this chapter. ^^ And thank you so much for following!**

 **Savage Kill : I'm really glad you're finding it interesting thus far! And I can tell you now, I plan to make this "Oh yes I'm totally a guy not a girl nope" thing last for quite a while~ Rei's gonna have to deal with a lotta stuff because of it, too, poor thing. And thank you very, very much for favoriting, love!**

 **And a special shout out to Yuu Annoya Me for having a punny name. Thank you for bringing that stroke of brilliance into this word, you lovely human being.**

 **And just a quick thing before I go, I whipped up a blog where you guys can talk to me, Rei, and Akihiko about anything and everything, keep updated on how the story is coming along, request little oneshots, and catch a few extra tidbits of info on these OCs! I always thought it'd be a fun thing to do, so I hope you guys can have lots of fun with this blog. ^^ The link is towards the bottom of my profile, but the tumblr name is girlinboysclothing if you don't feel like going to my profile.**

 **Thank you all for the support, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and with that, I shall see you all again soon!**

 **~1000WTBS**


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